nexus_sages | At What Price Respect

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At What Price Respect

Verity in the forum? Not a strange sight. Verity without coffee? Rather less common. Verity slumping, exhausted, into a couch? Unusual. Verity covered in scrapes, bruises, and dust? Definitely strange.

"Help isn't if it's forced on someone. This is true. Someone not in possession of all of the facts cannot give fully informed consent. This is also true. But nobody can be forced to listen." Of course Verity has things on her mind. Who here doesn't? "How do you reconcile that? Is ignorance truly bliss? Or do you do what's needed to save someone despite their choices?"

((A note before you come to play with Verity: she's got a magic spell stuck in her that lets her always know when someone is lying to her. This includes sarcasm and knowing when someone believes something to be true when it isn't. This doesn't include lies of omission. She can also see through illusions. Please respect this; if your character is trying to lie to her, please make that known so she can react appropriately. [I completely understand this isn't going to be everyone's idea of fun.] Thanks.))

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"I also stress bake and look for people to feed." His grin widens. "Remember that table in the Nexus I had?"

"Humor me and at least tend to your injuries if you won't let me." He gestures to the first aid kit. "I will be following your orders and resting here for a bit." A couch would be better, but Katsuya isn't going to get picky.

"I do. If we both start stress baking your coworkers will all get diabetes." But she'll scoop up the first aid kit obediently. This also makes room for him to come sit and help, so, win-win. "Come rest here, it's more comfortable."

She really should learn how to do this first aid stuff properly someday. Someday soon, the way things are going.

"...Ha. We should have a bake sale in the Nexus." Or open their own bakery in the Nexus. She had mentioned something about that a long time ago. It seems almost plausible, now. Funny how things change.

He does indeed settle in on the other side of the couch, watching her pick through the kit to see if she needs his help or not. He doesn't insist on helping her. Verity's a grown woman and he wants to respect her independence.

"Mm, what would we be raising funds for?" Opening a bakery with him would be delightful. She'd love that. She'd be surprised he remembers that suggestion since he'd been so against it at the time. "Are there any charities in the Nexus?"

Considering some of the scrapes are in places she can't see without multiple mirrors, it shouldn't be a surprise when she asks. "Could you get the one on my shoulder, please?"

"We could raise funds for those injured or the families that lost loved ones in the attack." Katsuya's voice is quiet, but thoughtful.

"Of course." Katsuya takes the cotton ball and alcohol disinfectant and dabs at the scrape on her shoulder gently. "This might sting a bit." He adds softly, before pulling the backing off a large bandaid to settle over her scrape.

"That's a good idea." She can only imagine how guilty he's feeling. Anything to help with that. "We should do that."

She hisses softly at the sting but doesn't pull away. He's so gentle. It's relaxing when it isn't actually stinging. "Thank you. Is it bad?" The bruises are blossoming everywhere, but the scrapes are concentrated around where more protective clothes would have had openings: face, shoulders, wrists, hands, waist. None of them are bad.

Something to put together after he's had a rest, perhaps. It will be a welcome distraction for both of them, more than likely.

"Nothing serious." He reassures her. Really cleaning up won't take long st all, and there's only one more scrape he even has to clean and patch up for her. "There we go. Good as new." You know, in a few days.

"I hope not," she teases, "I'd hate to think I haven't made any progress in my life." He knows how little she thinks of herself, so hopefully he'll laugh at the terrible joke.

While they're not looking at each other and it's easier, she has an admission to make. "I wish you'd called me. I could have helped."

"Helped with what part?" Katsuya hasn't been expecting this turn of the discussion. "Finishing if the demons in Sumaru? That would have been dangerous, bringing you into something like that."

"Maybe not the actual fighting, but." She sighs and turns halfway toward him so she can see him out of the corner of her eye. "Making sure you slept, and ate? And all those other things you've probably been neglecting?"

"I thought you were busy being 'bad at caves'." Katsuya tries to smile our joke, but it's weak.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Verity. I didn't think of anything other than making sure things didn't get worse in Sumaru." He gives a tired sigh. "You can take care of me now if you'd like?"

It's a flimsy offer, but it's all he's got.

"I was looking for Loki." Which might explain why she went places she obviously shouldn't be going...

It's a better offer than she's heard all week. "You want me take you home and tuck you in and... there's supposed to be singing at that point I think? I'll skip that, I don't know any songs. But the food'll be good." This sounds like a good time to her.

She didn't look pleased when she got here. Katsuya is assuming she didn't find him. He'd be rather cross of she did and he hadn't offered to help her himself.

He chuckles weakly.
"You don't have to push yourself that hard. You just invited me to rest here after all."

If she ever finds Loki, Katsuya will know from the super-excited introduction she'll be making between them.

"I wouldn't mind. And I don't think you want to sleep on one of the couches here, they're not all that comfortable." This time, she's going to push just a little bit. He really does need to rest.

Taking her back. To his world. To his home. Katsuya nods and gets up from the couch and leads Verity back to his door.

It's different now, with Schon's magic holding it together. Barely looks like the simple glass door it once was. A constant reminder of his failure. He tugs the serpentine handle and leads them to his apartment.

The first thing Verity will notice is the thin layer of dust. Proving how little rest he's had between work and hunting demons. The second is how utterly quiet it is. There's a television that hasn't been used in years, old magazines on the coffee table, neither of which is cooking related.

There are photos in the shelves. A stern man with a warm looking woman and two bliss in front. The older with thick glasses holding his younger brother by the hand. They're all smiling.

A very androgynous student in a boys blue uniform pulling an iris from their front pocket as they get on the back of a motorcycle with a boy in a black uniform, remarkably similar to Katsuya in appearance.

A photo laid frame down.

Katsuya weekends get into his home quietly. As though he doesn't quite remember what is like to have someone else here.

"Here we are..."

She doesn't say anything about the new door. Not to Katsuya. Not now. But she does pause to look it over, running her fingers over the handle and one of the branches of the tree. That is not subtle imagery Schon chose. Fitting, perhaps, to warn people away from a place with demons, but not kind.

She doesn't say much about the state of the apartment either, but her fingers are twitching a little. Someone's going to be cleaning once he's asleep. "It's nice. What do you want first, food or sleep?"

Katsuya would be doing the same if he could work up the energy to care. His kitchen is minuscule, a combination microwave and stove, a sink made for a child and a small fridge/freezer combo. Everything is quite efficiently set up, however. The only appliance allowed to clutter the small bit of counter space was a coffee maker. Everything else was stored in the pantry and taken out when needed.

"There's the kitchen..." He tries to make it a tour. "And there's the toilet in there. Separate from the bathroom in Japan." He adds, pointing out each door. There's a door at the far end of the hall that is open when Katsuya leads her down the hall. She catches sight of some band poster and a red blanketed futon before Katsuya pulls the door shut. He doesn't have the energy to deal with that right now. There's a tiny laundry nook next to the closed bedroom and another small bedroom tucked around a corner. It's spartan--white walls, little to no decor. Katsuya's briefcase sits next to the door, along with a few ties strewn over a chair. "And this is the bedroom. I'm rarely here so it's quite clean. If you ever need a place to stay." He shrugs.

Unsure what else to do, Katsuya runs a hand through his hair, messing it from its carefully styled state and untucking his shirt. He'll lead her back around the corner to the main room and take a seat on one side of the couch.

"It's home." There's something kind of empty about how he says it. "Oh, hell." He mutters under his breath. "I'll put a pot of coffee on. I'm sorry. I'm not thinking straight."

The tour is nice, and the offer of refuge gets a smile from her. But she's relieved when he sits down.

"Shh. No." She's got a hand on his shoulder before he can get up again. "No. You sit. Rest. Let me take care of you. Please." This is what she can do. If this is the portion of the burden he'll let her shoulder she'll take it gladly and thank him for it.

"Now. Katsuya. All you have to do is tell me what you want, okay?" Enjoy her obedience while it lasts, this is a limited-time offer.

"..Al..alright." He nods, slumping back into the cushions. "The coffee is in the red bag in the top left shelf." He tries desperately to think if there is any food in his house in a packaging she will understand. He hasn't been to the grocery store in weeks, so there's not any fruit or vegetables in the fridge.

"Help yourself to anything you'd like otherwise. Uhm..and don't hesitate to ask if something looks odd."

She'll go to make the coffee, and doesn't ask for any help. She does seem to be playing with her phone a great deal. And adding salt. "I have a translation app on my phone. It seems to be working pretty well. A little preparation goes a long way."

See how much she's been thinking about him. Demons she can't help with, but not making a nuisance of herself? That she can work on. Pretty soon the coffee is brewing and she's poking around the rest of the kitchen to see what he has. She's never going to complain about a New York kitchen again. Not even the ones where the tub is in the kitchen.

"A what?" Smart phones aren't a thing in 2003 Sumaru. And Starkphones are double not a thing because who the hey is Tony Stark?

There's a little shelf built into his pantry that has a food processor, a rice cooker, a mixer, and a blender tucked safely away for when they're needed. There's baking supplies, though for some reason the baking powder and soda come in these little premeasured packets instead of a container. Packets of Konbu and bonito flakes for making dashi. Jars of miso. Standard Japanese pantry fare.

There's no checking in on Verity going on from the other room. Katsuya seems to have faith that she can get around halfway decently.

"Wha--oh. Short for 'application'. A program on my phone. I take a picture of foreign text and it translates for me. It'll also translate into Japanese if I need to go out for something and you're not with me." She really has put some thought into this. "I'll just tell people I'm beta-testing a next-gen cell phone."

She's going to have to look up what a few of those ingredients are, but she's sure she can make something. She can probably figure out miso soup, all the ingredients are there. There's rice, there's some kind of beans hopefully, there's spices. It won't be her most amazing meal ever but it'd be filling and healthy and that's the most important thing.

"My phone is a tiny computer. It does all sorts of things for me. We should get you one. You'll love it."

There isn't an immediate verbal reply from the other room. Katsuya's probably satisfied or impressed by this answer.

Rice, beans, firm tofu, miso, dashi stock, soy sauce, sake, mirin. Katsuya's got it all. She can certainly make a basic miso soup. Hell, if she roots around in the freezer she can probably find frozen shitake mushrooms to toss in there too.

Coffee might have to wait a while. When Verity does finally check in on the officer, he's dozing on the couch, chin threatening to slip off the hand he has it propped on.

She's not surprised when she finds him asleep. Actually, she's glad. He needs it. She'll get a blanket and a pillow to try and make him more comfortable, and then will find ways to keep herself entertained while he sleeps. If he sleeps long enough, not only is his apartment cleaned, she's got soup simmering and a fresh pot of coffee made. (She drank the last one.) (And that picture turned face-down is still in that position.)

It's too bad Katsuya is sleeping in the living room. Japanese game shows and really variety tv in general is hilarious. A silly culture shock of a good kind.

He wakes to the sounds of movement in the apartment and the smell of miso soup.

"Jun? Ima, nanji?" His speech is slurred with the haze of sleep and very much in thick Japanese as he slowly wakes up.

(("Jun? What time is it now?" Very informally asked, as if to close family.))

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Wow my phone garbled that last bit up. Sorry.

That's what I figured happened. No worries, I think I figured it out.

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